5 Best Songs on Linkin Park’s ‘One More Light’

Linkin Park’s seventh studio album, One More Light, arrived today (May 19). The record finds the band headed in a decidedly pop direction.

The band wrote on social media that the album took over a year to create and that each songwriting process began by asking the question, “What do we want to sing about today?” They wrote that the album was shaped by what was happening in their lives this past year: the good and the bad.

“One More Light is full of personal stories, and perspectives we’re still figuring out,” the band revealed. “We dug through our lives as friends, fathers, brothers, and bandmates. Each song is a snapshot in time, crafted with care, shared with the hope that someone listening will find themselves saying, ‘me too.'”

Here are the five best songs on Linkin Park’s One More Light.

“One More Light” is the title track and one of the more emotional tracks on the record. “Who cares if one more light goes out? Well I do,” Chester Bennington sings in the track’s moving chorus. The band dedicated their performance of this song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night (May 18) to Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell after he passed away unexpectedly late Wednesday night.

“Good Goodbye” certainly features the most unique sound and music video on the album. The track features guest verses from Pusha T and Stormzy. NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar makes an appearance in the video as an otherworldly judge for the supernatural dunking contest.

“Heavy” was the first track released off One More Light and features a collaboration with singer-songwriter Kiiara. The song signaled the band’s crossover into a more pop-centric sound, which caused some discord among their dedicated fan base. Despite the initial pushback, this single remains one of the record’s strongest tunes.

“Invisible” is a song that definitely shares the band’s perspective as fathers.In a recent interview, Mike Shinoda explained this track is about the moments when parents need to speak to their children about something they don’t want to hear, but need to anyways. “I was not mad at you/ I was not trying to tear you down/ The words that I could’ve used/ I was too scared to say out loud/ If I cannot break your fall/ I’ll pick you up right off the ground/ If you felt invisible, I won’t let you feel that now,” Shinoda sings in the supportive single.

“Sharp Edges” is the closing track off the album and offers a different approach to the band’s newly found pop sound. The opening guitar licks sound reminiscent of a Mumford & Sons-sounding song, but gradually builds to become more of a pop anthem. Lyrics like, “Every scar is a story I can tell, we all fall down, we live somehow. We learn what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger” make this track the ideal closing song to an adventurous new album.